I K Brunel's Ships — First Among Equals?

Abstract

A attempt is made to reveal Brunel's true position in the world of shipbuilding, and to show what he and his more experienced contemporaries had so far achieved and what was left to be done before the iron steamship (but not yet its engines) could be regarded as mature, by the 1850s. Brunel's ships are much admired, and he is regarded by the general public as having virtually invented the iron steamship. This is not a true account of the man's work in this sphere, but is a distortion caused primarily by his son's hagiographic biography of him, which enthusiasts are ready to accept as entirely true. Brunel himself was not given to making false claims. The story that he originated the idea of transatlantic steamship travel is demonstrably false, and there are other tall tales that the primary documentation discounts. In fact Brunel depended to a high degree on the work of others, and he would have been foolish to ignore what had already been learned. A chronology of the evolution of the steamship, and in particular the iron steamship, demonstrates what happened in the development of the transatlantic ferry and on other steamship routes, granting Brunel his correct place. Brunel's ships did employ a few new ideas, some of which may have been employed because of Brunel's limited production facilities and others were clearly intended to avoid problems that had already been defined by others. Brunel introduced the longitudinal framed double bottom in SS Great Britain, and was the first to use double riveted lap joints throughout in her plating. His other innovations were relatively unimportant; it was these two ideas that gained wide acceptance in the industry and were a distinct step forward in iron shipbuilding. In the longitudinally framed double bottom Brunel started a development that was brought to fruition by William Fairbairn, whose definitive study on the strength of ships confirmed the longitudinal frame as superior to the traditional transverse frame and extended the idea to the deck. This concept is essential for modern shipbuilding. Fairbairn also confirmed that Brunel's riveting techniques, while they were different to those so far used by the best shipbuilders, were valid and were easier to apply.

Keywords:

• ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL
• WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN
• JUNIUS SMITH
• JOHN LAIRD
• WILLIAM LAIRD
• MACGREGOR LAIRD
• WROUGHT IRON
• RIVETING
• SHIPBUILDING